Breeding plumage - April 23.
Credit: Paul Roberts

North American field guide

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Identification

Field notes

19 cm (7") Rare. Greenland, arctic Canada, western Aleutians, St. Lawrence Island.

Small, sparrow-sized, plump plover. Dark brown upperparts, white underparts. Single broad dark band across breast; white from throat encircles neck; white forehead; small orange bill with black tip; legs orange or yellow.

Told from almost identical Semipalmated Plover in field by its voice.

Song: soft "poo-eep" or "too-li".

Watch and learn

Videos

2 videos
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant 1 rule

These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.

Common Ringed Plover

1 rule
Rule 1 11 criteria confidence 1
What colour were the LEGS or FEET ?
Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Red, or pink · Olive (yellowish-green) · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?
Brown, or chestnut (reddish-brown) · Gray, or blue-gray · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What colour was the BELLY ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What colour PATTERN if any was shown on the BREAST ?
Uniform color · Dark band or bands running across the breast or neck · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What colour was the BILL ?
Yellow · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Black, purple, or dark · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?
Straight and slender · Straight and thick · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?
Very short · Short · Medium · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?
Smaller than a sparrow · Sparrow-sized · Robin-sized
What TYPE of bird was seen ?
Sandpiper-like
WHERE was the bird seen ?
Northeastern Canada or United States · Northwestern Canada or United States
result:568-common-ringed-plover:1:1 Source: 568 Common Ringed Plover, row 1